The Moral of the Story is
by Joy Blue
Summary: A wish gone wrong, Squall must work his way through different fairy tales to save Yuffie... How hard could it possibly be? Dedicated to MysticAngel1 and Deplora.
1. Not that long ago

Standard Disclaimers Apply

For MysticAngel1... cause I just realise I haven't even reviewed your latest chapter of Promising.... Arrrgghh! and I love it!

The Moral of the Story is….

A wish gone wrong, Squall has to save Yuffie by living different fairy tales, and the only way to save her is to discover the lesson he needs to learn.

_Three Hours Ago:_

"Come on, Squall!" Yuffie whined as she followed her partner back to their hotel. "Will it kill you to just give it a try?"

"It's Leon." Squall turned around and gave Yuffie a glare. They had just come back from the market where Yuffie brought a rusty old ring. The vendor told her it was a magic, and it could grant one wish.

"I can't believe you fell for that! What kind of ring grants wishes?"

"A magic ring! Aaaarrrggghhh! Come on, give it a go… I brought it for you!"

"You shouldn't have bothered. Why don't you make a wish?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes as she stamped her foot impatiently. "I can't! Whoever buys the ring can't make the wish! They have to give it to someone else. Come on, Squall!"

"Leon." Squall corrected as he looked at the outstretched hand. "Why don't you give it to Cloud or Aerith?"

A blush appeared on Yuffie's cheek as she stubbornly left her hands outstretched. "I don't want to give it to them! I want to give it to you!"

Squall crossed both arms across his chest. "Why?"

"Just take the ring and make a wish!"

"No." The older man replied as he turned away. "Go to Cloud or Aerith."

"I don't want to give the ring to Cloud or Aerith! I want to give it to you!" Yuffie repeated as she walked in front of Squall. She held the ring right under his nose with a determined stance. "Just take the ring and make a wish! Any wish! You can ask for anything, whatever makes you happy. You can even ask for Rinoa…"

"Don't say her name!" Squall cried our harshly, and swatted Yuffie's hands away as he made his way to their room. "Don't you dare say her name!"

Yuffie followed Squall, determined to give the ring to Squall. "Squall Leonhart…"

"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is no longer Squall Leonhart. It's Leon. Just Leon."

They entered their room and Squall deposited his gunblade back to it's case. "Just drop it, Yuffie."

"I won't drop it! All I want is to give you something special, So what if the ring isn't real? Don't you have anything you want, something you believe in? That's why I got this ring for you! Like some symbol or something… like when you blow your candles or make a wish on a falling star… Or…"

"Enough!" Squall shouted. Yuffie had not stop talking about the ring since she brought it. "I have nothing to wish for!"

Yuffie held the ring for him to see. "Gawd! You're always wishing for me to leave you alone… So obviously you do have things to wish for!"

"Fine!" His patience running thin, Squall grabbed the ring from the girl's hand. "I wish you'd go away and leave me alone!"

"Granted." A loud voice boomed out of nowhere, and before Squall or Yuffie could say anything, a cloud of smoke appeared from the ring.

"Yuffie! What the hell is this thing?" Squall chocked out as he opened the window to let the smoke out. He coughed a few more times before turning around. The smoke had disappeared, and so had Yuffie.

"Yuffie?" Squall called out, he looked outside their room for any sign of the ninja, but found none. "This isn't funny."

He saw the ring on the ground and picked it up. His eyes narrowed as he saw the inscription inside the band. 'Wish fulfilled. Ring no longer valid. Please do not re-sell under code 23.2 of magic artefacts.'

"Yuffie?" He called out again, putting the ring back in his pocket. He re-opened his gunblade case and took his weapon out. "Yuffie?"

"What's wrong? Yuffie annoying you again?" Cloud asked as he stopped at the open doorway.

"Have you seen Yuffie?" He asked instead as he walked downstairs. "Yuffie!"

"What did she do this time?" The blond warrior asked dryly. "I haven't seen her since you two left this morning.

Squall swore under his breath as he checked the kitchen, and the lobby. "Yuffie, this isn't funny! Come out now!"

Aerith rushed in, hearing Squall's voice. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Yuffie? Have you seen Yuffie?"

Aerith shook her head. "Wasn't she with you? Did you have another fight?"

_Where could she be?_ Squall thought, not bothering to answer Aerith's question. _The Gizmo Shop!_

He walked out of the hotel leaving a perplexed Cloud and Aerith as he made his way to Cid's shop, randomly asking people if they've seen the young ninja. He climbed up the ladder and half expected to see Yuffie grinning at him, but found nothing. He gripped the wooden ladder so tight, he could feel it slowly cracking beneath his hands. He loosened his hold on the ladder and made his way down.

He looked around the streets but found no sign of his partner. He fished the ring out of his pocket and stared at it, as if it would tell him where Yuffie went. He looked back at the inscription and he shook his head. _Impossible!_

Not knowing where else to go, he found himself walking back to the markets, and back to the old man that sold her the ring. He quickened his pace when he saw the man packing up.

"Where is she?"

Old Man Mario looked at him and grinned. "Ah, it's you! Is the young sir happy with his wish?"

"Where is Yuffie?" He asked slowly, and watched the man very closely.

"Yuffie?" Mario blinked before he grinned again. "Oh yes, The young lady who brought the ring."

"You're not answering my question. Where is she?"

"What do you mean where is she? I don't know!…" Mario didn't finish his sentence when Squall showed him the ring.

"It says 'Wish Fulfilled.' What does it mean?"

Mario looked at Squall as if he grew another head. "What is says! Wish fulfilled. You made a wish, the ring gave you the wish. Wish fulfilled. You're not happy with what you wish for? Sorry, no refund… I explained that to the young lady."

"That young lady is missing." Squall said as he grabbed the man's collar. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Mario replied as he tried to release himself out of Leon's grip. "Why would I know?"

"Because you sold her this!"

"That's all I did!" Mario said as he regarded the young man before him. "If I may ask… what did you wish for?"

"I didn't make…" Squall didn't finish what he was saying when he replayed the events back in his head.

"_I wish you'd go away and leave me alone!"_

"That's impossible!"

Mario began to sweat under Squall's hold. "What did you wish for?" Hearing no reply, he tried another tactic. He had heard so many horror stories of wishes gone wrong. "What did you say before she… before she disappeared?" He asked instead, hoping to get an answer.

"I… I said that I wish she'd go away and leave me alone."

Mario nodded his head in sorrow. "Your wish was fulfilled."

Squall's eyes flashed as he tightened his grip. "I didn't mean it!"

"The ring does not distinguish what you mean or don't mean!"

"Undo it then!" Squall demanded as he released Mario. "Bring her back."

Mario shook his head. "I am sorry… I can not… I can not undo wishes!"

Squall took a deep breath as he grabbed the man's collar again. "How do I get her back?"

"You can not! She is gone! Your wish has been fulfilled!"

"I didn't mean it!" Squall hissed as he tightened his grip on the man.

"Then why did you say it?"

"I didn't know this would happen!" Squall replied, and saw the pity in the old man's eyes. "How do I get her back?"

Mario took a deep breath, and Squall released his hold. "There… there might be a way, but I can not guarantee it."

"Tell me. Please."

"First… we need to know where she is. Come with me."

Squall followed the old ma through the streets and into a small alley. Mario checked behind them before opening a small wooden door. "Come inside."

Inside, the walls were lined with books. Mario looked around the room before snapping his fingers. "See that green book to your left? The fifth shelf? Could you get it for me please?"

Squall looked at the old man before walking toward the bookcase. He took the green book and noticed the dusty cover. Mario took it from his hands and placed it on the table at the middle of the room. He grabbed a box underneath him and placed it on the table. "I hope… I hope this works."

Squall simply watched as the man took out a glass ball from the box and used his sleeves to clean the dust. "Stand aside young man."

Mario watched in satisfaction as Squall did as he was told. "You have not told me your name."

"Leon."

"Hello, Leon. My name is Mario Goettsfield. I wish we could have met in a much more pleasant terms… but it can not be helped."

Squall watched as Mario close his eyes and chanted in a language he had never heard off.

"May I have the ring?" He opened his palms and Squall gave the ring to the old man who nodded his head in thanks. Mario returned to his chant and Squall watched as the glass fogged up and the green book began to open. The walls started to shake, then there was stillness. Mario looked at Squall with a frown.

"You say your name is Leon?" At Squall's affirmative nod, Mario shook his head. "The ring does not recognise your name. What is your real name?"

"I don't go by that name anymore."

"If you want Miss Yuffie back, you must give me your real name."

"Squall. Squall Leonhart."

Mario closed his eyes and chanted. And once again, the glass fogged up, and the green book opened, it's pages flicked until it stopped on a page. "Oh, dear…"

"Oh, dear?" Squall asked as he saw Mario read the page. "Where is this Oh, dear?"

Mario cleared his throat before he looked at Squall. "She has been… transported to another world. Where fairy tales exist. That, is where you have sent her."

"I did not send here there." Squall said softly as he took the book from Mario's hands.

"Sent her unintentionally." Mario amended. "She is lost in the world of magic. Of lands far beyond our reach."

"How do I get her back?" Squall asked as he closed the book.

Mario took a deep breath as he stared at Squall. "You want her back?"

"Why would I be asking how…"

"You misunderstand me, Mr. Squall." Mario interrupted him. "Do you want her back because you want to, or because you feel it is a… duty of some form? It makes a difference. A big difference."

"I promised her parents that I would take care of her, protect her. It is my duty to get her back."

The old man closed his eyes. "Very well… I believe I can help you get to where she is. Getting her back, however… is entirely up to you." He looked at Squall from head to toe and nodded towards his gunblade. "Good that you are armed… however…"

He motioned for Squall to follow him. They reached the bookcase where Squall took the book from. Mario selected a book from the first shelf, and the shelf opened revealing a smaller room. "Here, take this cloak… this dagger… hmmm, what else… oh yes, these pouch filled with magic beans… ah, fairy dust, take two… no three bags of fairy dust…" Mario continued to take things of the shelves and handed them to Squall.

"Magic beans? Fairy dust?"

Mario ignored the bewildered tone. "There's instruction on the pouches. Use them well… let me see.. Here, use this bag to put all that stuff in. Oh yes, bow and arrow. Do you know how to use them?"

"I have my gunbalde."

"Fancy weapon you got there. What do you intend to do when you run out of bullets? Here take these." Mario said as he shoved the bow and arrow inside the bag. "There you go, all set. I've put a few other things here and there… I usually sell these, but for you… I think I might make an exception. Remember, I can get you to her, but bringing her back… it's all up to you."

Squall nodded, and Mario gently pushed him to a corner. "This will take you to where Miss Yuffie is." Mario said softly as he took a pouch and sprinkled some dust on the floor. "Step on it, and you will get to where she is. This other pouch, you use when the two of you are ready to return."

"Thank you."

Mario nodded, and stopped Squall before he could take a step. "Listen with your heart, you will understand."

Without any further word, Squall stepped into the dust, and disappeared. Mario took a deep breath before he sat on a chair, and used an old parchment to fan himself. "Oh dear…"

_Present time:_

Squall recalled the day's event as he underneath an old oak tree. He had no idea where he was, or how he could find Yuffie. The sun was about to set, and Squall knew he had better chances of finding Yuffie tomorrow, than in the dark in unknown territory. He looked at the bag Mario had given him and looked at the pouch labelled 'Fairy Dust. Sprinkle, think happy thoughts, and fly away!' He shook his head, threw the pouch away, and pulled another one. 'Magic Beans. Grows overnight, beware of Giants.'

"Magic Beans, yeah right." Squall muttered as he threw it as well. He leaned against the trunk and looked inside the bag, most of them useless items. There were so many questions that he wanted answered, but now was not the time. What important was getting Yuffie back. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, and soon, the Lion has fallen asleep.


	2. Squall and the Beanstalk

**Standard Disclaimers Apply  
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_**Squall and the Beanstalk**_

The next day, Squall squinted his eyes as rays of sunlight flitted through the leaves. He stood up, picked his gunblade and bag when a sight stopped him. A few feet away from him was a massive tree. He was sure that tree wasn't there the night before. He walked towards it cautiously and read the small plaque embedded on the tree. "Magic Beans registration no 98ELO1. Please find hidden treasures above. (List of treasures found inside the first branch) Please be reminded you are only allowed three items, and be wary of man eating giants."

He looked up and saw that the tree reached the skies above. He looked curiously at the first branch, and opened it. He took out a parchment inside and read the items listed. "Magic carpet, trident, crown, magic wand, golden harp, golden-egg laying geese, the Greatest Ninja Ever, glass slippers… : Squall paused as he read the previous items. "Greatest Ninja Ever… Yuffie?" He looked up again, and slung the gunblade and the bag on his shoulders. With a determined look in his eyes, Squall began to climb.

It may have been a few minutes, or even a few hours, but Squall could not tell as he reached the top. He looked at the castle in front of him and stepped on the wooden bridge that connected the castle to the tree. He took his gunblade and walked towards the castle. There was silence around him, and Squall made sure that he was alert to anything. He looked at the big wooden door with a slight frown. He tried to look for another entrance, but found none. He placed his palms on the door and began to push. Nothing. It didn't even budge. He tried again, only to be unsuccessful. He stepped further away and aimed the gunbalde at the left corner and fired. There was only a small noise, but to Squall, it was enough. He began to kick the broken wood away, and was satisfied with the small entrance he had made. He walked inside the castle, and looked at any signs that Yuffie was there. He walked slowly, carefully, and found a carpet rolled up and was leaning against the wall. The carpet was labelled 'Magic Flying Carpet, version 2' He ignored the carpet and moved forward. It was faint first, but as he strained to listen, the voice began clearer.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE! I'll SHOW YOU, YOU BIG GOON! LEMME OUT!"

That voice, he knew that voice! Squall walked faster, and found himself looking at a big table with a gold cage perched on top of it, and inside…

"LET ME OUT!"

Squall walked to the table leg and looked at the carved design. He could use the designs to climb to where Yuffie was. It was hard, but Squall managed to hold on to the designs and use them to reach the top. Once he got there, he almost sighed in relief. Yuffie was still shouting, and has not heard him. He walked behind the cage quietly.

"WHERE ARE YOU? LET ME OUT!"

"Don't you get tired of all this shouting?"

Yuffie spun around, her eyes wide like saucers when she saw him. "Squall? Is that… is that you?"

"It's Leon, and yes, it's me. Stand back."

Yuffie did as she was told, and Squall used the gunblade again to unlock the cage. "How did you find me? Where are we, anyway?"

"I don't know. We just have to get out of here as soon as possible." He took the pouch Mario had given him and sprinkled it on the table. "Come on. We're going home." He stood on the sprinkled area, but nothing happened.

"Uh, Squall? What are you doing?" Yuffie asked wondering what her partner was trying to do.

Squall looked down, and back to the pouch, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the words stitched: Valid only after lesson has been learnt. Yuffie stepped closer and read the pouch.

"Lesson learned? Are we in some kind of test?"

"When you brought the ring from the old man, what did he say to you?" Squall asked as he closed the pouch.

"He told me that it could grant any wish… but it can't grant mine. I'm supposed to give it to someone spe… someone else."

"He didn't say anything else?"

Yuffie shook her head. "Why?"

"Do you remember what happened before you got here?"

"You were being stubborn! You wouldn't make a wish, then the next thing I know… I was here! Inside that cage where this big ugly….thing…"

Squall stopped her babbling by covering her mouth with his hands. "Did you hear that?"

Yuffie's eyes bulged. "It's the big ugly thing!"

"Giant." Squall corrected and Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever!"

The two of them crept to the edge of the table and began to descend, just in time to hear the heavy footsteps.

"Fee Fi Fo Fum…"

"Don't even ask what that means!" Yuffie muttered as they got to the ground. Squall motioned Yuffie to follow him just as the giant roared in anger.

"Where is my ninja?"

The giant roared again when he saw Squall and Yuffie running. "Stop! Give me back my ninja!"

"I'm not your ninja, ya freak!" Yuffie called out as they ran, but they were no match for the giant's gigantic strides. Yuffie screamed as they barely avoided being stepped on.

Squall aimed his gunblade between the giant's eyes and fired. The giant screamed in pain, and covered his face with his hands.

The two resumed running and they passed by the Magic Flying Carpet. Squall unrolled the Magic Flying Carpet and they both stared when the carpet floated.

"That is cool!" Yuffie breathed out as she examined the carpet closer.

"Get in!" Squall ordered as they looked back at the giant. "Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yuffie replied as she got in. The moment Yuffie was inside, the carpet rose a few inches, and flew towards the door. "Oh wow! This is so cool!"

"My ninja! My carpet! Give them back!" The giant shouted as it started to chase after them. The carpet flew higher and went out the window, and Yuffie practically threw herself at Squall when the carpet zoomed down.

Squall held Yuffie tight as they approached the tree. "Down! Go down!"

The carpet understood, and began to went down. And soon, they were back ob the ground. Squall immediately got off the carpet.

"My ninja! My carpet, give them back!"

Squall glared at the giant for a second before using his weapon to chop the tree down.

"Squall! He's going to come down!" Yuffie cried out as she pointed up in the sky.

"It's Leon!" Squall replied as he continued to chop the tree down. They could hear the giant as it continued to roar in anger. With one last chop, the tree began to sway, and they looked up to see the giant scrambling back up. Squall grabbed Yuffie and the edge of the carpet and ran as far as possible. They only heard a loud 'thwack!' and everything became quiet.

"That was interesting." Yuffie muttered as she looked at the tree, then back to Squall. "What do we do now?"

"Are you alright?"

Yuffie nodded with a smile. "Are you?"

"I'm fine. We need to find a way how we can get home."

"I wonder where we are?" Yuffie asked, though not really expecting an answer. "Could this be another world?"

"In a way." Squall replied.

_A world full of magic._ Mario's words whispered. Squall looked at the pouch again and frowned. "He didn't mention about any… lesson."

"So… what do we do now?" Yuffie asked, although her focus was on the magic carpet.

"I don't know." Squall muttered and Yuffie looked at him. "This pouch was supposed to get us home."

"Only valid when lesson has been learnt. Maybe… maybe there's a test around here that we need to pass?"

"Like what?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I dunno… like… not judging a book by it's cover… or going through some tasks.. you know…"

Squall looked at Yuffie. "No, I don't."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember all those stories? When we were young?"

"Yuffie, they're stories."

"Well, have you ever seen a giant and a flying carpet?"

At Squall's silence, Yuffie nodded her head, as if she had made up her mind. "Maybe we need to walk somewhere, we can't learn anything if we stand here, right?"

Squall looked around them. Yuffie might have a point. He looked back at her playing with the flying carpet. He wondered if she heard his wish. _"I wish you'd go away and leave me alone!"_

His own memory taunted him. She was here because of him. He wanted to say something, to apologise, but he knew that no was not the time. Yuffie had to be right. There has to be some test, some task they need to accomplish for them to learn something. But what? He saw a pouch lying on the ground. He remembered it as the fairy dust pouch he threw last night. He picked it up, and looked at the brown pouch. If that magic bean worked… then, this one would too.

"Uhhh, Squalll?"

Squall turned around and saw Yuffie with a nervous expression on her face. "It's Leon. What is it?"

"I can't move. Arrrgghh!" Yuffie screamed as she started to sink to the ground. "Squall!"

He leapt to his feet and grabbed Yuffie, only to find her slipping from his grasp. "Hold on!"

"I'm trying!" Yuffie replied as she tried to clutch his arms. "Squall!"

He had no time to correct Yuffie as she continued to sink. They were both on the ground now, Yuffie's neck and arms the only things that are visible. "I'm getting you out…"

Yuffie was struggling to breathe as she began to sink further.

"Keep your head up!" Squall cried out. He was going to loose her. He watched Yuffie try, but to no avail… her head had disappeared, and all he could do was grip her hands as tight as possible and try to pull her up, but to no avail. The arms sunk further, until all he had was he wrists… "Yuffie!"

Then nothing.

"No!" Squall cried out as he tried to dig the area where Yuffie disappeared, but there was no sign of the ninja, just dirt. "Yuffie!"

He slammed his fists on the ground and stood up, completely lost. What was he supposed to do now?

There had to be a logical explanation for everything. He looked behind him and saw the magic carpet, completely forgetting about it. It floated next to him, almost as if inviting him. Squall weighed his options. Yuffie was obviously nowhere near where he is at the moment, staying here, wherever here is wouldn't help. He placed his bag on the carpet before climbing on, his gunblade still in his hands. "You wouldn't know where to go, would you?" Squall murmured, and to his surprise, the carpet rose above the sky and headed towards a small town. He observed the scene below him and tried to think of what to do next. Finding Yuffie earlier was easy enough, would finding her the second time be as easy?


	3. Yuffie, Yuffie, Let down your hair

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**_**Standard Disclaimers Apply  
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_**Yuffie, Yuffie, Let down your hair!**_

Elsewhere, Yuffie Kisaragi found herself inside a room. She stood up and somehow… she felt different. Heavier. She looked at her arms, her hands, her legs, she felt her face. Nothing seemed to be out of place, until she started to walk, and tripped. "What on…"

She stopped as she saw the source of her fall, a long piece of dark rope. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed it, only to find her head yanked backward. She looked at what she was holding on her hands, and realised that it wasn't rope, but braided hair. She closed her eyes as she reached at the back of her head, and her eyes widened in shock when she realised that the hair she was holding was her own. She stood up again and grabbed the hair at the back of her neck and threw it over her shoulders. Her jaw dropped as she saw the length… it must be twice her height…. Even more. She suddenly realised that there was no door in the room. There was just a window and she walked towards it and groaned when she looked out. She was surrounded by forest, and she was inside a tower. A very, very, long tower. "Okay… I'm in trouble. You'd better show up Squall, and you'd better have a good explanation for this!"

Squall on the other hand, found himself in a small farm at the outskirt of the forest. He saw a small cottage and decided to take his chance. "Stay here." He told the carpet, which simply plopped to the ground. It was quite disconcerting to be travelling, and talking to something that wouldn't talk back to you.

_Now you know how Yuffie feels. _

He ignored the taunt and knocked softly at the wooden door. He heard a shuffle inside the room before the door opened to reveal an old woman. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a friend."

The old woman smiled. "That's nice. Good luck!"

She was about to close the door but Squall stopped it with his hands. "Please, she's missing. I need to find her."

"Where did you come from?"

"Traverse Town." Squall replied and the old woman rolled her eyes.

"No you silly boy, where did you come from before you arrived?"

"At a forest… not far from here." He replied and the old woman looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "We… we just escaped a giant."

The old woman snapped her fingers. "The beanstalk. I see, you started with the beanstalk."

"How did you know?"

"Of course I know. You should have been more specific when you said you were looking for a friend. This is the first check point you see, didn't the guide tell you anything?"

Squall just looked at the old woman. "I am having difficulty trying to understand everything."

"Very well, very well, come on in. Tell me everything."

_Five minutes later:_

"Well, you did wish for her to go away and leave you alone."

Squall closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I did not mean it. If I knew the ring was real, I would have wished for something else!"

"What's done is done… tell me, do you have any idea why you're here?"

"I'm here to get her back."

The old woman looked as if she was going to say something, but decided against it. I can tell you, but you have to give me something in exchange."

Squall opened his bag and offered it to the woman. "Take what you want."

"Oh, no… I want that carpet you left outside. Give me the carpet, and I will tell you where your friend is."

"Very well." Squall murmured as he walked outside and returned with the carpet.

"See that path?" She asked as she pointed to a window. "Follow that, you will find her there. If by any chance you have not learnt your lesson, she will disappear again. For you to find her, you must keep going west until you find the next check point. You do understand what you are doing here?"

"I'm only here to get her back."

"My dear boy, it is more than that now. You are on a quest to rescue your friend. For you and your friend to return home, you must pass the test and learn the lesson!"

Squall stood up, ready to leave. "Perhaps I would be more enlightened if I was aware of what this test… this lesson is."

The old woman sighed. "You have been told already. You must listen. Listen with your heart. You will understand."

"I see." Squall replied. He was obviously not going to get an answer here. "Thank you for your time."

The old woman watched as Squall make his way to the path she had told him to go. His next task is easy. He would not have a problem getting to her, but the more he fails each time, the harder the next tasks would be. "He's a stubborn one, isn't he?"

The carpet moved, almost as if it was nodding in agreement.

Inside the tower, Yuffie sat on the bed with a scowl. There was nothing here but a bed. The room was completely bare. That, and her new hair made it so hard for her to move around. Everything was so quiet, she wanted to scream.

"Yuffie, Yuffie, let down your hair!" A hoarse, high pitch voice yelled. Yuffie stood up and tried not to trip as she walked towards the window and looked down, and saw a witch. "Let down your hair."

Yuffie looked at the witch, then back to her hair. She looked down again at the witch with both hands on her hips. "Who are you? How did you know my name? Did you do this to my hair?"

"I am a witch, I know everything, and yes, I did that to your hair!" The witch replied. "Now, let down your hair!"

"I don't think so, old hag!" Yuffie cried out

The witch pointed her bony fingers at Yuffie. "Let down your hair, or else!"

"Or else what?" Yuffie taunted the witch.

The witch opened her mouth but could not find anything to say.

"HA!"

The witch narrowed her eyes as she glared at the young ninja high above the tower. "You will let your hair down… or I will make sure your friend will never see you again!"

"What? What friend?"

"Don't play innocent, missy! I know about your friend who will come to your rescue!"

"Yeah, well, you'd better run and hide then…" Yuffie called out.

The witch stamped her foot on the ground. "Let your hair down, now!"

"Make me!"

The witch seethed in anger at the young ninja. "Last warning. LET DOWN YOUR HAIR!"

"NO!"

"If you don't let your hair down right this minute, I am going to make this tower disappear and you will be trapped there forever!" The witch cackled in evil laughter and Yuffie winced at the horrible sound.

"Fine! Just stop that noise!" Yuffie yelled as she bent down to gather her hair, and threw it down, right at the witch who screeched in surprise. Yuffie looked down and saw the unconscious witch and bit her lips. "Oops."

At that moment, Squall Leonhart saw a tall tower with a piece of rope hanging out… and up above was Yuffie. He picked up his pace and saw an unconscious woman wearing black. He looked up again and watched as Yuffie with a sheepish expression on her face.

"Yuffie?"

"I ah, kinda knocked her out."

Squall stared at the rope hanging and tugged it, and heard Yuffie yelp. "What's wrong?"

"Let go of my hair!"

Squall released the rope, and when he looked closer, he realised it was braided hair. He looked up again and saw Yuffie scowling at him. "You hair is short."

"Not anymore!"

Squall tugged the braid gently. "How did this happen?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I opened my eyes and I was here… with this hair."

"Can you get down?"

"There's nothing here but a bed,. Hey, where's the flying carpet?"

"I had to trade it for information."

Yuffie looked down an Squall expectantly. "So… how am I going to get down?"

Squall weighed his options. There was no way he can climb up something that high, nor can Yuffie climb down.

He looked inside his bag for anything he can use, but found none. He looked up again at Yuffie before giving the hair a gentle tug.

"I can still feel that, you know."

Squall murmured an apology. The only way to get to Yuffie is to climb up there… and somehow find a way to go down. He looked at the braid, then back to Yuffie, then to hi gunblade. "I have an idea."

Yuffie nodded her head eagerly. She was feeling like she was in those fairy tales where the Princess was locked away in a tower, and was rescued by Prince Charming. Except that her Prince Charming seemed unsure how to save her, and he didn't slay any dragons… he didn't even defeat the witch, like in most stories. She suddenly felt a less than gentle tug and her eyes looked in shock at Squall who was currently using her hair as rope. "Hey!"

"This is the only way up!"

She fumed, and she couldn't believe that her head was still attached to her head. She looked down again to find Squall almost half way up. His face was blank, blue eyes focused on the walls, the face he uses before he set out to kill the heartless. Yuffie didn't know why they were in this situation, but being with Squall was worth it, though having to be rescued twice in short periods of time was ruining her pride as the Great Ninja Yuffie.

"My neck's starting to cramp!"

"I'm almost there…" And soon, they were face to face, he was so close she could feel his breath. "Yuffie?"

"Yes, Squall?"

"Leon. I need you to move out of the way."

Yuffie blinked and blushed in slight embarrassment. "Oh!"

She moved away, and Squall gripped the window ledge and pushed himself in the room. He looked around the room before pointing his gunblade at Yuffie. "Turn around."

She eyed his gunblade warily. "Why?"

"So I can cut of your hair and we can use it as a rope to go down, unless you have a better idea."

What he said made sense, that and the long hair was starting to irritate her. She turned around and felt Squall move behind her, his hands taking hold of her braid. She closed her eyes and felt the steel of the gunblade against the back of her neck, and then…

"Done."

She turned around to see Squall with the braided hair. Her hands flew to her own, and realised that her hair nor reached just above her shoulders. Squall brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Go? Yeah.. I am." Yuffie replied as she followed Squall to the window. Squall tied the hair on the bed

And threw the braid down the ground. "Hey, Squall."

"Leon. What is it?"

"So, any luck on what the lesson is?"

"No. You go ahead."

Yuffie looked at the braid before setting herself on the window ledge. "This better work…"

Squall watched Yuffie climb down, and he tried to figure out what the old woman said about this test, this lesson that he needed to learn. He began to go down, and tried to asses the situation. The first thing he needed to do was to make sure Yuffie didn't disappear again. He reached the ground a few seconds after Yuffie who was looking around her.

"What do we do now?"

Squall didn't answer her, and as much as she complained before that he hardly ever looked at her, it was a bit discomforting to find him doing so. Much to her surprise, he took a hold of her hands as they started to walk. "Uh, Squall?"

He ignored the nervous tone of her voice. He was relieved, happy even to discover where the ninja was. When he was walking looking for her, there was a slight fear nagging in his mind. He had no idea where to go, except words from an old woman who wasn't really that much of a help. He couldn't remember feeling so comforted at the sight of his partner, safe up on the tower.

Yuffie was torn between smiling and well, smiling. Squall was holding her hand! She wanted to jump for joy, she wanted to scream, but found herself completely speechless, until she felt herself stumble.

Squall turned around sharply and saw Yuffie standing in a puddle of water. "Let's go, Yuffie."

Before she could reply, a hand shot out from the water and grabbed her by the knees, and pulled her down.

"Not again!" Squall cried out as he used the hilt of his gunblade to hit the mysterious arm that appeared out of nowhere. "Yuffie, hold on to me."

A pillar of water rushed up, separating Yuffie and Squall completely, and as quickly as the pillar appeared , it disappeared with Yuffie. He was angry that she slipped from him twice, taken away by some force to another place that he was supposed to be find. It was almost as if this wasn't much of a test, but someone was playing with Squall Leonhart, and was using Yuffie to their amusement.

_For you to find her, you must keep going west until you find the next check point. _

He remembered the old woman's words, and despite the fact that the sun was setting, he was determined to get into the next check point, wherever it was. He was going to find Yuffie, and this time, he was going to make sure nothing was going to take her away from him. He still had no idea of the purpose of all all this… A lesson he needed to learn. His mind has reviewed everything that happened since he arrived in this place, and there was nothing, nothing that constituted as a test.

Whoever was behind this better have a good explanation for what was happening. If they wanted to test him, or whatever it really was they wanted to do, they were welcome to do so. He was a warrior, he was ready to face whatever challenges no matter how absurd. What he found unforgivable was using Yuffie Kisaragi to do the deed.

He was going to find her, and he was going to discover whatever this lesson is, and get Yuffie back to Traverse Town.


End file.
